Process for hydrolyzing fats and fatty oils into glycerin and fatty acids.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GBIGORI PETROFF, 0F NOVO GIREEVO, RUSSIA.

PROCESS FOR HYDROLYZING FATS AND FATTY OILS INTO GLYCERIN AND FATTYACIDS.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 5, 1912. Serial No. 707,753.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

To (1 whom, it may concern 130 it known that I, (llncoiu Pn'rnorr, asubject of the Czar of Russia, and residing at Novo (lireevo,l\T.oscou-Nizhni Railway Line, Eleninsky Prospect, Dom. Troitzky-Kusminoy, Russia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Process for Ilydrolyzing Fats and Fatty Oils into Glycerin and FattyAcids, of whichthc following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved process for the hydrolyticdecomposition of fats and fatty acids into glycerin and fatty acids.

The improved process consists in using for this purpose the organicsulfonic acids obtained from mineral oils, such as crude petroleum orits distillates. These sulfonic acids possess as splitting agents greatadvantages over the agents hitherto ordinarily employed in the art forthe hydrolysis of fats.

It has been known for a long time that organic sulfonic acids are formedby the action of concentrated sulfuric acid or sulfuric acid anhydridupon crude petroleum, the distillates thereof or the like. Thesesulfonic acids may be separated out from the sulfonation products invarious ways, and be obtained in a more or less pure form. For instance,the sulfonated naphtha hydrocarbons may be washed with an aqueous lyeafter the deposition of the precipitated acid tar layer (Goudron layer),as is usually done for instance in refining naphtha distillates. In thisoperation the sulfonic acids pass over in the form of salts into theaqueous solution from which the hydrocarbons which are carried over withthem are removed by means of benzin, benzol or other solvents. Thesolution thus purified is decomposed by means of an excess ofconcentrated sulfuric acid. In this operation the sulfonic acids areseparated out in the form of a thick layer which contains only somewater and sulfuric acid. In this form the acids can be employed forsplitting the fats. If such commercially pure sulfonic acids aredigested with ether or benzoh only the sulfonic acids will becomedissolved therein which have remained behind in a chemically pure stateafter the removal of the solvents. Such pure sulfonic acids form a solidor semisolid resin-like hygroscopic mass, according to the properties ofthe initial material and also according to the degree of sulfonation.Said mass contains a mixture of various sulfonic acids of cyclichydrocarbons which latter have a very high molecular weight. I have nowdiscovcred that aqueous solutions of such sulfonic acids have adistinctly pronounced property of splitting fats into glycerin and fattyacids, and that for this purpose very small amounts (0.5 to 1.0%), ofsuch splitting agent are sufficient. The splitting action and the speedof reaction increasewith increase in the temperature and with themolecular weight of the sulfonic acids. The splitting action is alsofavored and accelerated by the presence of small quantities of somemineral acids.

The followingexample may be given of a preferred manner ofcarrying outthe present process. 40 parts by weight of water, 0.25 parts ofconcentrated sulfuric acid, 0.75 parts of the above mentioned sulfonicacids, and 100 parts of melted fat or oil are poured in succession intoa wooden or lead-lined iron vessel provided with a pipe for admittingsteam or water vapor. By admitting steam the mixture is caused to boiland is kept boiling continuously for some hours. With the statedproportions by weight, more than 90% of the glycerids are split up'after a lapse of 5 to 10 hours. The boiling is then stopped and thefatty acids are allowed to separate out from the glycerin water andfurther treated in the usual manner for the production of stearin orsoap. The sulfonie acids employed for splitting remain in solution inthe glycerin water. The latter is neutralized with lime or bariumhydroxid. The precipitate is separated by filtration, and the filtrateis treated in the usual manner for the recovery of glycerin. Theprecipitate is treated with sulfuric acid for the recovery of the sulfonic acids which can then be used over again as hydrolyzing agents asabove described.

The use of sulfonic acids for splitting fats has very many advantagesover the Wellknown agents, for example, the aromatic sulfonic fattyacids, employed in the Twitchell process, which are produced by theaction of sulfuric acid upon a mixture of non-saturated aliphatic acidswith aromatic hydrocarbons. The sulfonic acids which are separated outfrom sulfonated naphtha-hydrocarbons, possess a greater splitting power,so that by their use the duration of the reaction and also the quantityof the-splittin vagent can be considerably diminished. T e resultingfatty acids are much 1i hter than those obtainable by the Twitchelprocess. Further, the splitting agentaccording to this invention can beregenerated or recovered after each operation,

so tha'ta comparatively very small uantity is suflicient for thedecomposition o a considerable amount of fat.

Claims. 1. A process for splitting fats and oils into glycerin and fattyacids, which consists in using as splitting agents the sulfonic acidswhich are formed and isolated in the sists in mixing the fat or oil withthe necessary (buantity of sulfonic acids of mineral oil h rocarbons andeifecting hydrolysis of the at or oil in the an acid medium.

3. A process for splitting fats and oils into glycerin and fatty acidswhich consists in mixing the fat or oil with the necessary quantity, ofsulfonic acids of mineral oil hydrocarbons and efi'ecting hydrolysis ofthe fator oil in the presence of water in an acid medium with agitationof the mixture by steam or air.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GRIGORI PETROFF.

presence of water in Witnesses:

LYDIA RoLL, CHR. EUFURT.

